Heart function can be significantly impaired when a heart valve is not performing properly. Potential causes for heart valve malfunction include dilation of an annulus around the valve, ventricular dilation, and a prolapsed or misshapen valve leaflet. When the heart valve is unable to close properly, blood within a heart chamber can leak backwards, through the valve, which is commonly referred to as regurgitation. Valve regurgitation may be treated by replacing or repairing a diseased valve. The most common method of correcting tricuspid valve regurgitation is to reduce the annulus by bringing the anterior and septal leaflets closer together using sutures. In some cases, precut sheet pieces of polytetra-fluorethylene (PTFE), also known as pledgets, are used with the sutures to cushion the load of the suture against host tissue.
Although open heart surgery is one method for treating the diseased valve, a less invasive methods of treatment would be more desirable for many patients. Minimally invasive procedures, however, are significantly limited by the lack of adequate visualization through blood within a patient's beating heart. Accordingly, there is a need for alternative devices and methods for treating heart valve disease that provides adequate visualization and suture delivery for users during a minimally invasive procedure.